The LSU men’s basketball team is making strides — albeit during losing efforts.
The Tigers were blown out in the second half by 83 points against their past four Southeastern Conference opponents.
In Wednesday night’s game, LSU held its own in the second half against South Carolina even though the result was the same. The Tigers lost, 64-56.
Sophomore guard Aaron Dotson drained a 3-pointer from the left side of the court with 4:48 remaining, and freshman point guard Andre Stringer made a layup on the team’s next possession, cutting South Carolina’s (13-7, 4-3) lead to the lowest of the night.
But the four-point deficit was the closest LSU (10-12, 2-5) got as the second-half improvement wasn’t enough to take care of business against the Gamecocks.
Dotson and Stringer sunk clutch shots, but each of them committed a turnover in the final three minutes to eliminate a chance of a comeback.
“We never felt like we were out of the game,” Stringer said. “We cut it, and we kept playing hard. A couple of turnovers kept us from pulling it out.”
LSU coach Trent Johnson was noticeably upset and abruptly left the postgame press conference after his team’s losing streak was extended to five games in front of a quiet PMAC crowd of 7,311.
“We have a tendency when things are going bad, it’s like an avalanche,” Johnson said. “We have to play our way through situations in times like that.”
The Tigers continued their slump, but they broke their four-game streak of losing by at least 20 points.
“We didn’t quit,” said junior forward Garrett Green. “That’s the only positive we can take from this game. We fought all the way to the end.”
South Carolina, led by freshman guard Bruce Ellington’s 20 points, never trailed in the game.
“Ellington’s a good player,” Johnson said. “He played beyond his years as a freshman. He made some nice plays.”
LSU freshman guard Ralston Turner returned to the PMAC for the first time in more than a month. He last played in front of home fans Dec. 27 against Southern.
Turner scored four points in his conference debut against Alabama on Saturday, and he only got two against the Gamecocks in 16 minutes.
“We couldn’t come from behind,” Johnson said. “Losing is losing. The growing pains are painful.”
South Carolina held LSU junior forward Storm Warren scoreless during his six minutes on the court. Johnson said Warren will be limited for the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury.
“I probably could have played him more, but I couldn’t put that kid in that situation,” Johnson said. “This game is hard enough to play when you’re healthy.”
The Tigers will continue their two-game homestand when Mississippi State comes to town Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]